Students and Faculty Participate in Pennsylvania College English Association Conference

Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on March 27, 2018, No Comments

East Stroudsburg University was well represented at the Pennsylvania College English Association (PCEA) 2018 Conference held at Hotel Bethlehem March 23-24. Three ESU students and six faculty members participated in the two-day conference by presenting papers or serving on a panel related to the conference theme, “Rise Up: Social Protest in Literature, Creative Writing, and Pedagogy.”

ESU student papers analyzed a variety of issues and media including live action and animated television shows and musical theatre. Melissa Schneider, a sophomore from Dunmore, Pa., majoring in computer science and computer security, presented her paper titled “Remembering Their Stories: An Analysis of the Orange is the New Black Opening;” Ariel Tucci, a senior from Douglassville, Pa., majoring in English and psychology, presented her paper titled “A New Era of Progress: Explicating Gender Representation in Contemporary American Animated Sitcoms;” and Caryn Fogel, a graduate student from East Stroudsburg, Pa., pursuing a master’s in professional and digital media writing, presented her paper titled “Whose Grammar, Yo? The Formal Language and Slang of Hamilton: An American Musical.”

Faculty presentations also reflected the conference theme in their examination of anime, literature, and activism in the classroom. Cynthia Leenerts, Ph.D., associate professor of English, presented her paper titled “‘When the People Stand as One, Their Voices Carry Farther Than Light’: Social Commentary in Yu Hua’s Writing;” Erica Dymond, Ph.D., instructor of English, PCEA board member and conference co-chair, presented her paper titled “‘My Master’s True Identity is a Good Person’: An Exploration of the Mentor/Mentee Relationship in ONE’s Mob Psycho 100;” Jennifer Harrison, Ph.D., instructor of English, presented her paper titled “Chapter 8: Bread and Circuses: Sustainability vs. Commodity Culture in The Hunger Games Trilogy;” and Stacey Burch, instructor of English, presented her paper titled “Building Trust and the Value of Choice: Empowering and Promoting Social Activism in Literature and Writing Classrooms.”

In addition to the research papers presented, Sandra Eckard, Ph.D., professor of English and Laura Kieselbach, assistant professor of English, served on a panel with Drs. Dymond, Harrison, and Leenerts titled “Engaging the Reluctant Learner: Strategies for Student Success.”

Other institutions represented at the conference include Bloomsburg, Cedar Crest, Florida Atlantic University, IUP, Kutztown, Lehigh, Moravian, Penn Foster, Penn State, Robert Morris, Rosemont College, Seton Hill, Slippery Rock, University of London, University of Pittsburgh, West Chester, and York College.